37 percent: Nearly two in five job seekers (37 percent) lack confidence that the job market will improve next year, according to a recent study conducted by the Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University. Hiring managers, however, disagree. Eighty-seven percent of hiring managers think the job market will improve in 2014, according to findings from the 2013 Job Preparedness Indicator.

— Brandpoint

Tech Talk

In a statement released before market open Nov. 4, BlackBerry announced that it is selling $1 billion worth of convertible debt with Fairfax buying $250 million of the debt. The transaction is expected to completed within the next two weeks, at which time BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins will step down. Heins will be replaced on an interim basis by former Sybase CEO John Chen, who will also be appointed executive chair of BlackBerry's board when the transaction closes.